George gordon byron
G
eorge
Gordon Byron (1788
– 1824) is one of the greatest poets of England, commonly known
simply as Lord
Byron.
At the age of 21 he became a member of the House of Lords.
He took part in the movement for the liberation of Italy from Austrian rule. Then he went to Greece to fight for the liberation of that country from Turkish oppression. He is a Greek national hero.
Amongst Byron’s best-known works are poems “Don Juan”, “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”.
Words & Expressions:
celebrated – прославленный, знаменитый
verses – стихи
“Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” – «Паломничество Чайльд Гарольда»
“Don Juan” – «Дон Жуан»
Charles dickens
Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870) was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, and he remains popular. Many of his novels, with their recurrent concern for social reform, first appeared in magazines in serialized form, a popular format at the time.
He did some reporting in the House of Commons for newspapers. Being a reporter, he went all over the country, writing stories. He wrote novel after novel – “Pickwick Papers”, “Oliver Twist”, “Little Dorrit”, “Bleak House”.
He was buried in Westminster Abbey.
PART SIX
MUSIC
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind,
flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Plato (424 BC-348BC)
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words
and that which cannot remain silent” Victor Hugo (1802-1885)
Music
is one of the oldest forms of human communication, a human universal
to be found in all cultures at all times. Its primary appeal is to
the emotions. As hymn, national anthem, love song, or political
protest song, music may provoke feelings of patriotism, romance or
revolt.
The British composer Edward Elgar (1857-1934) said: “Music is in the air all around us, the world is full of it and it is important that you should take as much of it as you wish.”
The next important British composer Frederick Delius (1862-1934) found it essential that music should be the expression of a poetic and emotional nature, and indeed Delius’s music reminds us of the English landscape and its seasons: the freshness of spring, the shot-lived brilliancy of summer, the sadness of autumn.
Music can be divided into different genres:
Art music: classical music and opera.
Music written for the score of a play, musicals or films.
Ballroom music: tango, pasodoble, cha cha cha and others.
Religious music: gospel, Gregorian chant, spirituals, hymns and others.
Military music: marches, national anthems and related compositions.
Regional and national music: traditional music, folk, work songs, nursery rhymes.
MUSICAL
CLICHES
The old silent Charlie Chaplin comedy films probably wouldn’t be much fun without the music that accompanied them. Later, when films began to have sound, the music stayed because directors use pieces of music and sound to create particular moods and feelings. These are called musical clichés.
In horror films and thrillers, loud sounds let you know when something frigh-tening is going to happen. Violin music often accompanies emotional scenes in ro-mantic films, and in adventure films they use sharp and fast sounds for action scenes.
Some musical clichés introduce specific places. Shots of Hong Kong, for example, often have xylophone music in the background while shots of Paris come with accordion melodies. There are many musical clichés for different types of scenes.
So, next time you watch a film, pay attention to the music in the background. You’ll be surprised by how many musical clichés you can spot.
Words & Expressions:
to accompany – сопровождать
a horror film – фильм ужасов
a violin – скрипка
a shot – кадр
background – задний план, фон
to spot – увидеть, узнать, определить
Questions:
Why was music important in old silent Charlie Chaplin comedy films?
How did directors use music when films began to have sound?
What musical clichés are used in horror films and thrillers?
What musical clichés are used in romantic films?
What musical clichés are used in adventure films?
Which musical clichés remind us of Paris? London?
Exercise. Choose a piece of music, find a picture and describe the scene while playing the music extract.
Describe musical clichés in your favourite film or play.
